What to Expect from the ACA Marketplace in Virginia This Year

The debate over the Affordable Care Act in Washington has led to some confusion amongst potential enrollees this year. Nick Gilmore details what to expect from this year’s open enrollment period.

Listen

Listening...

/

1:07

Nick Gilmore reports.

Lois Caliri is an ACA Navigator with ENROLL Virginia!, an effort by a number of different groups that aims to educate potential enrollees about the healthcare marketplace.

She says that enrollees this year can expect a couple major differences:

“In previous years, we started November 1st and went to January 31st. This year, open enrollment will begin November 1st, but it will end on December 15th. The other major change is that we will have one insurance provider who will participate in the marketplace.”

That provider is Anthem, which will be the only option for most of the western part of Virginia. That also means that enrollees with a different provider in previous years will have to make the change to Anthem this year.

Caliri and her team have received inquiries from potential enrollees about whether or not the ACA’s individual mandate, also known as the penalty for not having health insurance, has gone away:

“As long as the Affordable Care Act is still the law of the land, then the mandate or the penalty is still in place.”

Monthly premiums are also expected to rise this year, but Caliri says those some of those costs should be mitigated by increased tax credits.

ENROLL Virginia! will be at the New Horizons Healthcare Clinic in Roanoke tomorrow, October 12th, from 8 to 5 to answer any questions potential enrollees may have heading into the beginning of open enrollment.